h of smoke and ash fueled her determination to make Thorne pay. As she ran, the forest blurred around her, the trees becoming a greenish-brown haze. Lyra's senses narrowed to

and outmatched. Just as all seemed lost, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows - the same stranger Lyra had glimpsed earlier. He moved with a fluid grace, his eyes blazing with a fierce inner light. "Need a hand?" he asked, his voice low and rough. Lyra's eyes narrowed, unsure if she could trust this stranger. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw something there that gave her pause - a glimmer of recognition, of understanding. "Yes," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.